Judging the Judges..

I have been following Indian Idol since its inception in 2004/05..The show was an instant hit and has only picked up since then. Not only has it given opportunities to millions of singers in India who otherwise would have gone unnoticed, it has also given them name, fame and money. Now, you don’t have to be a winner, just getting that Yellow card or being the top 10 would make you famous for life. Such is the power of TV and the reach of Sony TV!

This season of Indian Idol is no different. There was publicity much before the show started. Remember Diwakar’s voice in one of those faceless ads they were showing. The show has only become more grand. Costumes sponsored by big brands, actors promoting their movie and what not..Well there isn’t much to talk about the contestants. Although there wasn’t anyone with that ‘wow’ factor, the ones in the top 3 are decent. Besides the show has groomed some singers read Amit so well that when you listen to them now there is a sea of change.Though I would have loved to see Kaushik here, when it comes to public voting there is nothing much you can do. Therefore, it is going to be an all Punjab finale. Let the best win..

Now let us get to the crux of this post- which is judging the judges.

As I already told you, I have been an avid follower of this show and have seen a plethora of judges come and go. This time around when they announced that Asha Bhosle is going to be there I didn’t quite like it..Well, Well hold your shoes and chappals till I finish..I totally respect Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar and their likes and there is no doubt that she is a living legend. What I feel is when you have a competition where there are multiple judges, their age and experience in the industry should match(atleast to an extent). For example when you have an Asha ji commenting about a contestant, a contradictory comment from Sunidhi will not carry the same weight. This restricts the openness in expression. There has been more than one incident where Asha ji has silenced others. In fact Salim,Anu Malik and Sunidhi are mere sidekicks. No doubt, she is a wonderful singer but when she sings now, you can see her go off key. No offence meant. I absolutely agree that people of her age are either bed ridden or too old to even talk, forget judging a show and singing a full-length song. I feel Asha ji has respect from millions of people and has reached a certain position. What I think is she should just stick to that and stay there. By doing this, she is actually making herself a topic of discussion. The only people benefited by this are the producers on the show, its TRP and Sony TV. I also feel that she has a certain favoritism towards Devendar. Not that he is a bad singer, but she refuses to give him negative comments even at times when they were much deserved. Maybe it hurts her ego because she praised him way beyond what he deserved! C’mon Asha ji an honest comment would only improve.

All said and done – I still love you Asha ji. 🙂

I don’t really have anything to say about Salim. He is very sweet. However, I feel that he is toothless and doesn’t have an independent opinion. I feel he always sings to the tunes of Sunidhi or Anu.

Anu Malik has been there since Indian Idol’s first season. He has judged many contestants and definitely has a huge hand in the TRP of the show. At times, he shouts for no reason and many a times when he actually has to say something strong he shirks. He is known to have one favourite contestant every season and this time it was Poorvi. Poorvi again is a phenomenal singer. It’s a pure delight to watch her sing western, but did she deserve a top spot? – Well probably not! She is one-dimensional and has failed to deliver anything other than her genre. However, every time the audience felt so, the judges especially Anu Malik became defensive and they urged the audience to vote for her which is utterly unfair on other deserving contestants. Anu ji its time you started having an open perspective having judged the show for almost 8 years.

Sunidhi!!! – Before I write anything let me affirm that she is my favourite singer. She is one the most versatile singers we have in the industry today… But God knows what has happened to her this season. Her smiles are so plastic and she sounds so submissive. Again maybe her opinions are a total contrast to that of Asha ji’s but isn’t she paid to give her positive feedback?

Overall, Indian Idol is a brilliant platform for people to showcase their talents. I am sure I would see the Top 3 in the playback industry very soon. The show has managed to grab a good TRP, they need reconsider their options in selecting their judges from next time.

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6 responses

I have virtually given up on any of these shows being real competition. Its all a game of who gets more TRPs! And, I am not a fan of Sunidhi as a judge. She shows too many nakhras and the less said about Anu Malik the better.

And yes, I feel that Asha ji is acting way below her dignity on this show. Even Mithun Chakravarty did not stoop to the levels she has on this show. She is probably trying to get to Sunidhi’s level which looks awful considering her age and stature.

Completely agree with u…i felt bad watching Asha tai crooning her own songs completely off-tune and sometimes inserting her songs at even irrelevant situations..seems like she want to hog the limelight and is getting quite insecure about it…apologize if I am rude towards her..i love her as a singer.
I like sunidhi’s voice a lot…. but you are correct…seems like something has happened to her!!